Government Schemes for Pregnant Women and Children in India

Introduction:

In an attempt to make life easier for pregnant women and young children in India, the government has come up with a number of benefits for them. Every state has their own set of schemes and benefits for their residents but, in this article, we will be taking a look at the most talked-about government schemes which are applicable for the pregnant women and children throughout the country.

1. PM Jan Dhan Yojana:

It is also known as the Pregnancy Aid Scheme. In India where more than 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, it becomes very difficult for a family to take good care of a pregnant woman. The aim of this program is to provide financial support to these women who can, in turn, nourish themselves and take proper medical aid during their pregnancy.

Benefits of the program

• Pregnant women will be offered a financial benefit of Rs.6000.
• The pregnant women can use this money for vaccination expenses, hospital admission fee, nutritional food and anything related to the well-being of their health.
• The government will credit the money directly to the bank account of the woman thus, making another important facility of a bank account available to her.
• The scheme has targeted to cover more than 650 districts in the country.
• The direct transfer benefit proves to be a very smart move as it eliminates leakage of funds and leaves no room for corruption.
• The amount will be disbursed in three instalments to ensure that it is being used at the right time for the right purpose. The first instalment will be of Rs. 3000, the second will be of Rs. 1500 and the final instalment will be of Rs. 1500.

In India, the maternal mortality rate is very high. India has been facing this issue for a very long time. This isn’t the mortality rate of children who die during birth, it is the number of mothers who die while delivering and the numbers are shocking. This happens due to reasons like malnutrition, improper medical care, lack of medical facilities, unhygienic conditions, and improper pregnancy management. The PM has taken a major step to address this issue by coming up with this Yojana.

2. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan:

The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan was launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. The program’s aim is to provide timely and quality antenatal care, free of cost, universally to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month. This yojana collaborates with private-sector doctors to volunteer for free and visit these places where there aren’t proper medical facilities. They conduct these health checkups at government hospitals.

Benefits of the Program

• Ensure at least one antenatal checkup for all pregnant women in their second or third trimester by a physician/specialist which could result in the reduction of neonatal and maternal deaths in the country.
• Improve the quality of care during ante-natal visits which will further ensure a reduction of cases such as Anemia, Gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension etc.
• Identifying high-risk pregnancies.
• Special care will be given while educating the women on nutrition.
• Special focus will be given to early pregnancies or adolescent pregnancies are these are high-risk cases.
• A Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card will be issued to every pregnant lady and a safe pregnancy booklet will also be handed out.
• One of the most important components of the Abhiyan is the identification and continuous follow-ups of   pregnancies wherein a sticker indicating the condition and risk factor of the pregnant women will be added onto MCP card for every visit which are:

Green Sticker is for women with no risk factor detected. Red Sticker is for women with a high-risk pregnancy.

3. Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme for Children of Working Mothers:

No matter however proficient or devoted a mother is, her kid will forever be her priority. She is going to give up her well-settled job and career to care for her children if she doesn’t have help at hand. So, as to cut back this dropout, which has been on the rise in our country, the Government has come up with this scheme in 2006.

There has been a huge increase in the options of job opportunities for ladies. Also, the requirement to support the family financially thanks to increasing inflation, this can be a welcome step for all. The scheme offers day-care facilities, improved nutrition, immunization facilities, sleeping facilities, and has set the stage for higher physical, mental and social growth of kids of working women. All the women who wish to continue their career must avail of this brilliant scheme.

4. Pulse Polio:

It is one of the most path-breaking schemes that the Indian Government has come up with. It is an immunization campaign began by the government of India to completely eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the poliovirus. The government sets up camps regularly to vaccinate children and government officials also visit residences moving around the door to door administering the dose.

5. Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram:

It was launched to provide child health care screening at states where there is a dearth of medical facilities. Mobile health teams are organized to visit these places and conduct thorough examinations. They also conduct health screening for children from the age of 0 to 6 at Anganwadi Centres twice a year. It covers 30 common health conditions in children.

6. National Deworming Day:

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has dedicated a day to combat soil-transmitted infections in children. During this campaign, school teachers and workers administered a single dose of Albendazole to children.

Closing thoughts:

Our government is making humongous efforts after a long time so, let us too make the best use of its benefits and educate others too about their rights and take full advantage of it.